Thursday, August 2, 2012

Asolo Rep adds 'My Brilliant Divorce' to its 2012-13 season in Sarasota

Asolo Repertory Theatre announced today the addition of "My Brilliant Divorce" to its 2012-2013 lineup. The one-woman comedy by Geraldine Aron will have its regional premiere at the Sarasota company from June 26 to July 14 with preview performances June 23 and 25. "My Brilliant Divorce" will be directed by Asolo Rep Producing Artistic Director Michael Edwards.

“A script like 'My Brilliant Divorce' comes along once in a lifetime,” said Edwards in a statement. “The whole notion that a divorce, probably one of the single most painful and traumatic experiences anyone can have in life, could actually be ‘brilliant,’ really intrigued me. The play is grounded in elements of a genuinely lived experience, though it’s not autobiographical, and the character’s ‘voice’ is very authentic. It deals with an emotional subject with humor and humanity.”

“It’s important that she be American, that she’s an American ‘out of water’ – coping with London, with a British husband, with the reality that even her daughter is a little alien to her because her daughter’s more British than she is," Edwards said. "The openness, the ease, the lack of guile in the British world is part of what it is to be an American, and at first it puts her at a disadvantage in coping with the charged emotional layers of complication in British life, but in the end it’s to her advantage. It’s her American character that pulls her through the experience.”

Set in present-day London, the story revolves around American expatriate Angela, a middle-aged woman who is blindsided by her British husband’s sudden decision to leave her. Adrift in a sea of bizarre dates, shifty lawyers, phone-in helplines and impending poverty, Angela somehow finds the strength to live anew and find what she needs most. The play has been lauded for being intelligent and funny, "a highly entertaining exploration of divorce, dating and the search for love," reads the publicity material.

"My Brilliant Divorce" had its premiere in 2001 in Galway and was later transferred to London’s West End, where it was nominated for the 2004 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Entertainment. It will be the final production of 2012-13 Asolo Rep schedule.

Single tickets will go on sale to the public online only Sept. 30 and by phone and in person Oct. 1.

Buzz Worthy

Buzz Worthy is a forum for Bradenton Herald features writer/columnist Marty Clear to share his thoughts on the Bradenton-Sarasota arts, theater and music scene as well as the national entertainment scene, including television and movies. He welcomes feedback on all these topics.
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